My "Retirement Orchid"

[DaveNV]

Tuggers know, (well, most of you, anyway), that I retired about three weeks ago. My coworkers gave me a nice send-off, lots of hugs, and sent me home with an orchid. It was a bunch of bare canes with lumps where flower buds were developing. I accepted their kind gift, with absolutely no idea what they were giving me.

Fast forward nearly three weeks, and it has exploded into an amazing thing of beauty. Most of the blooms have opened, but there is another cane growing, that I expect will take over blooming when the current batch is done. A really nice plant.

Today the lighting was just right, so I snapped a few pictures to share with my former coworkers. It occurred to me that Tuggers might appreciate seeing it, too. We can all use those moments of happiness in these troubled times.

Anybody an orchid expert? We're thinking this is an oncidium, but it was unmarked. Anybody know?

Dave

 

[dsmrp]

Yes it looks like an oncidium. Very nice!
And the flowers last a long time.

 

[Luanne]

My dh, who used to grow orchids, confirmed it is an oncidium also known as Spanish Lady or Dancing Lady.

 

[turkel]

Beautiful, I love orchids!

 

[DaveNV]

My dh, who used to grow orchids, confirmed it is an oncidium also known as Spanish Lady or Dancing Lady.

Very cool! Thanks! Now I can share that information with my former coworkers. They were curious, too.

Dave

 

[Passepartout]

That is a pretty little rascal. I hope it brightens the digs for a good looking time.

 

[lockewong]

It is an oncidium. They are easier to grow than most. Do not put them in direct sun but a lot of light is good. Water them and let them dry out. It looks beautiful!

 

[Beachclubmum]

Very pretty! We watered our orchid with ice cubes.

 

[SmithOp]

Ours is blooming too Dave, we've had it over 20 years.

They like a mostly crushed lava medium with good drainage, not too much potting soil. Get some orchid food, tiny amount diluted in the water every other month.

Ours live outdoors in CA.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[geekette]

Yay! Great thread. It's nice to see beautiful things growing.

 

[DaveNV]

Ours is blooming too Dave, we've had it over 20 years.

They like a mostly crushed lava medium with good drainage, not too much potting soil. Get some orchid food, tiny amount diluted in the water every other month.

That's a really nice plant. Thanks for the tips - I want to do all I can to try and help mine survive. We'll see how it goes.

Ours live outdoors in CA.

Oh sure, rub it in! LOL!

This one is currently living on the kitchen sink window sill, where it gets bright afternoon light, but not any heat. I'm hoping it can survive there. I have a cat who loves to eat live plants, not always a good idea. Too cold here to plant this guy outside, I think. It was 32 degrees here when I got up this morning...

Dave

 

[amycurl]

Beautiful! I love giving gifts of growing things, esp. in times of grief (and, let's face it, the globe is in some kind of grief state at the moment....)

 

[Rolltydr]

Tuggers know, (well, most of you, anyway), that I retired about three weeks ago. My coworkers gave me a nice send-off, lots of hugs, and sent me home with an orchid. It was a bunch of bare canes with lumps where flower buds were developing. I accepted their kind gift, with absolutely no idea what they were giving me.

Fast forward nearly three weeks, and it has exploded into an amazing thing of beauty. Most of the blooms have opened, but there is another cane growing, that I expect will take over blooming when the current batch is done. A really nice plant.

Today the lighting was just right, so I snapped a few pictures to share with my former coworkers. It occurred to me that Tuggers might appreciate seeing it, too. We can all use those moments of happiness in these troubled times.

Anybody an orchid expert? We're thinking this is a oncidium, but it was unmarked. Anybody know?

Dave

View attachment 18627
View attachment 18628

Absolutely beautiful plant, Dave!

 

[DaveNV]

Absolutely beautiful plant, Dave!

Thanks! I've had absolutely nothing to do with it, other than not letting my cat kill it. LOL!

Now that I'm retired, I may have to rethink this growing plants thing. Harbor Freight sells greenhouses for not a lot of money. Maybe I need a new hobby?

Dave

 

[Luanne]

Thanks! I've had absolutely nothing to do with it, other than not letting my cat kill it. LOL!

Now that I'm retired, I may have to rethink this growing plants thing. Harbor Freight sells greenhouses for not a lot of money. Maybe I need a new hobby?

Dave

When we bought our last house in California it was on a huge lot. We had a swimming pool, enough yard for a play set, and along the side of the house a basketball court. We didn't think we'd ever use a basketball court with two daughters (who knew one of them would play basketball) so dh ripped out the concert and used the space for a vegetable garden. I still miss that. He also built (not from a kit, lol) a large greenhouse for his orchids. He had been raising orchids for years, starting when he lived in NYC. There were many years we would bring orchid plants back from Hawaii. When we got ready to move dh either sold, or gave away, all of this plants. I can't remember if he dismantled the green house or sold it along with our house. I was hoping to find a picture of it, but couldn't.

 

[DaveNV]

When we bought our last house in California it was on a huge lot. We had a swimming pool, enough yard for a play set, and along the side of the house a basketball court. We didn't think we'd ever use a basketball court with two daughters (who knew one of them would play basketball) so dh ripped out the concert and used the space for a vegetable garden. I still miss that. He also built (not from a kit, lol) a large greenhouse for his orchids. He had been raising orchids for years, starting when he lived in NYC. There were many years we would bring orchid plants back from Hawaii. When we got ready to move dh either sold, or gave away, all of this plants. I can't remember if he dismantled the green house or sold it along with our house. I was hoping to find a picture of it, but couldn't.

What a great thing he did! I have friends who recently built a really fancy home in this area. Joe is a major plant fanatic. He'd had a tiny greenhouse at their old home, and he had a HUGE free-standing plant room built at the new place. It's not really a greenhouse, as one wall is cement. More of a Conservatory, I guess you'd call it, as three sides are glass. All climate controlled, and dirt floor and whatever. He spends a lot of time with his plants, including many orchids, and is able to get exotic tropical things to grow, and even bloom, here in the crazy-weather Pacific Northwest. He's definitely way into the process. If this orchid doesn't work out here, I may ask him if I can donate it to his collection.

Dave

 

[VacationForever]

Thanks! I've had absolutely nothing to do with it, other than not letting my cat kill it. LOL!

Now that I'm retired, I may have to rethink this growing plants thing. Harbor Freight sells greenhouses for not a lot of money. Maybe I need a new hobby?

Dave

Cats may get tummy ache and diarrhea from nibbling on orchids.

 

[Luanne]

What a great thing he did! I have friends who recently built a really fancy home in this area. Joe is a major plant fanatic. He'd had a tiny greenhouse at their old home, and he had a HUGE free-standing plant room built at the new place. It's not really a greenhouse, as one wall is cement. More of a Conservatory, I guess you'd call it, as three sides are glass. All climate controlled, and dirt floor and whatever. He spends a lot of time with his plants, including many orchids, and is able to get exotic tropical things to grow, and even bloom, here in the crazy-weather Pacific Northwest. He's definitely way into the process. If this orchid doesn't work out here, I may ask him if I can donate it to his collection.

Dave

Dh was doing all of the gardening and tending to the orchids while he was still working. For quite awhile he was doing all of the yard maintenance as well. Then he broke his arm. He started using a yard service for the mowing and minor upkeep. He enjoyed that so much that he kept them on even after his arm was healed, but still did the gardening (planting, etc) himself. Where we live now we have NO yard, no grass, and not good soil for planting. He still manages to maintain a small vegetable garden and also has flowers. So he's now doing less with the gardening in retirement, lol. I asked him if he missed the orchids and he said he did a bit.

 

[DaveNV]

Cats may get tummy ache and diarrhea from nibbling on orchids.

Exactly. And my cat thinks he's a dog, so he eats anything he can get in his mouth. Strangest animal I've ever lived with.

Dave